Sheet perfecting printing press



P F, COX

Jan. 3, 1939.

SHEET PERFECTING PRINTING PRESS 4 Sheets Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 8, 1937 @QN QQN Jan. 3, 1939. cox

SHEET PERI-ECTING PRINTING PRESS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8, 1937 H .WH a

Jan. 3, 1939. F C 2,142,885

SHEET PERFECTING PRINTING PRESS Filed Nbv. 8', 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 3, 1939. I

P. F. COX

SHEET PERFECTING PRINTING PRESS Filed Nov. 8, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE 11 Claims.

This invention is a novel improvement in retary sheet perfecting presses, and its principal object isto provide a press comprising two nonperfecting printing units and means whereby the sheets printed on the first unit (or press) will be delivered tail-end first to the second unit (or press) and perfected in their passage through suchunit.

My mainobject is to connect two single nonperfecting units in such manner that the product of. the two units would be perfected sheets, and I. provide a simple connection between the two units to accomplish the purpose desired, and still allow each unit to be used as a separate press. This will enable. a printer to buy one unit and later on add a second unit to perfect the sheet in-one. continuous operation. The novel attach.- ment making a perfecting press out of two units is. desirable in many cases.

A further object is to provide a. perfecting press comprising two single non-perfecting units so connected that sheets: can be perfected by the second unit; or each unit be used as a separate non-perfecting press. Each press unit has two or more cylinders, and two or more beds, and each cylinder can be arranged to coact with only one bed, or to coast with two or more separate beds, and in the latter case may print non-duplicate forms; orthe cylinders can be arranged so that they contact successively with both beds, using duplicate forms, and thus produce a multicolor perfected product.

In my present invention I preferably employ units having multiple type beds and multiple cylinders of the general type shown in my Patent 1,982,574'of November 27, 1934, but with various improvements therein, but instead .of raising the ink rollers to jump the forms when printing in one color, the cylinders may be raised to jump the forms on the non-related bed, so that different forms maybe used on the. beds if desired.

The two units are so arranged that the sheets delivered from the first unit will be reversed and delivered tail-end first to the infeed of the second unit to be perfected thereby. The perfected sheets printed by the second unit may be delivered to a-- collector or gathering mechanism, and two or more gathered sheets may be stitched together, beforev passing on to a final folder so that the press can print and gather two or more different forms such as tabloids and pamphlets and swing andpaste the sheets together before delivering same to the folder or stacker.

I willexplainthe invention with reference to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof to enable those familiar with the art to manufacture and use the same. In the appended claims the novel fea tures of construction and novel combination of parts for which protection is desired are summarized.

In said drawingsz- Fig. 1 is a side elevation largely broken away of a sheet perfecting press embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a. side view showing one unit partly in section and related parts partly broken away.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the mechanism for reversing and delivering sheets from the first to the second unit.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the Geneva movement control for the delivery of perfected sheets from the second unit.

Figs. 5 and '6 are details partly broken away, illustrating adjustable means for holding the impressi'on cylinders 01f impression when desired.

Fig. 7 is a detail View illustrating one means for adjusting the bed bearers.

The press units In the construction shown there are two similar perfecting units A and B arranged side by side with means for reversing and transferring the sheets printed by the first unit tail-end first to-thesecond unit. In general each unit shown is constructed similar to the press shown in my aforesaidpatent, and a description of one will explain both.

Each unit has two impression cylinders 35, 35a, journaled at diametrically opposite ends of rotatablecross-heads 33 mounted upon a main supporting shaft 32 by which the cylinders are moved inan orbital path. Each unit shown has a feed board I from which the sheets can be fed to a transfer reel 3- by which they are delivered alternately'to the impression cylinders 35 and 35a. Theimpression cylinders are mounted in journals 48 movable in a radial direction and pressed outwardly by springs 49.

During each half revolution of the crossheads a cylinder will be moved from the sheet feeding devices 3' to the sheet delivering devices 6! (and vice versa) and during such movement the sheet will be presented by the cylinder to the printing surfaces on a type bed or beds disposed below the shaft 32 and adjacent the orbital path of the cylinders. In the machine shown there are two type beds is and 19a ordinarily cooperating respectively with the cylinders 35 and 35a. The beds may be fiat and'the printing surfaces thereto ink the forms on beds I9, I9a.

on flat; or the beds and printing surfaces may be curved if desired. The impression cylinders print alternately, and in the construction shown two sheets would be printed during each rotation of the crossheads.

Mounted on the crossheads 33 in advance of impression cylinders 35 and 35a are sets of form inking rollers 52 and 52a respectively adapted The inking rollers respectively receive ink from fountains 56, 56a during each rotation of the crossheads. Preferably each set of inking rollers "contacts only with the forms on the related bed; and mechanism is provided for properly distributing the ink on the form rollers before they ink the form, substantially as described in my aforesaid patent,

The feed devices The sheets fed onto feed board I are picked up by grippers II on the feed reel 3. The reel 3 is shown with four sets of grippers Ii, spaced apart, for picking up sheets from feed board, and the reel is mounted on a shaft 6, which is moved step by step by a Geneva stop mechanism, the reel stopping at a point where the sheet will be taken by a printing cylinder. The Geneva member 4 is operated by a driving member 5, on a shaft 7, provided with studs 8 adapted to engage the slots in member 4 to turn the latter; on shaft I is a double Geneva segment 4a adapted to lock member 4 during the intervals between engagements of studs 8 therewith. Shaft I may be driven as described in my said patent and rotates one to one with the crosshead 34; and reel 3 will rotate one fourth a revolution and feed a sheet to a cylinder at each one-half revolution of the crossheads as described in my aforesaid patent.

When a cylinder comes to the point of contact with the feed reel, the reel grippers are opened by a roller I5, which may be operated as described in said patent to release the sheet to the impression cylinder.

The type bed and inking frame Each type bed I9, I9a is adapted to carry a type form or printing surface. The bearers 2Ia for the respective impression cylinders are type high and continue completely around the interior of the bed and inking frame. Annular racks 22, are provided meshing with gears on the cylinders to cause them to rotate as they travel through their orbit. Above the type beds is an approximately semi-circular inking frame 20, which has interior surfaces serving as ink plates to aid in disseminating the ink. The inking mechanism is preferably constructed and operated as described in said patent.

The mainshaft 32 of each unit may be driven by a gear 32a operated by a train of intermediate gears 88 from a gear 81 on drive shaft 86 (Fig. 1) shaft 86 may be driven by any suitable means.

The delivery and stacker The delivery reel 6| and mechanism for operating it are constructed like the feed reel and its actuating mechanism; and has Geneva members 4am, actuating lever 5a: and pins 830 mounted on a shaft Ix. When the reel GI comes to a stop the grippers 62 are opened by a lever means described in my aforesaid patent contacting with a lever, and when an impression cylinder arrives at point of contact with the delivery reel BI the reel grippers are released; and when the units are not used to perfect sheets the sheet, ordinarily drops into a stacker as described in said patent.

In each unit sheets on feed board I are successively taken by the feed reel 3 and transferred to cylinder 35 or 35a as it passes said reel. The sheets are presented by such cylinder to the type form on the proper bed (I9 or ISa), the form being inked in advance of the cylinder by the related set of inking mechanism (52 or 52a). The printed sheet is then transferred to the delivery reel and ordinarily piled upon the stacker 66.

Perfecting the sheets The units A and B are preferably spaced sufficiently apart to permit sheets to be fed from the feed board I of the second unit directly to such unit in case it is desired to use the units separately to produce non-perfected sheets. But in order to perfect the sheets I provide the feed board I of the second unit with endless tapes I00 running over pulleys IOI at each end of the feed board, the tapes being adapted to carry sheets printed on unit A over the feed board of the second unit and deliver them to the feed reel 3 of the second unit B. The roller IOI is adjacent the periphery of the delivery reel 6| of the first unit A and the reel gripper releasing devices are adjusted so that instead of releasing the sheet at the bottom of the reel (as it is when it is not to be perfected) the sheet is carried up and past roller IOI by the reel. When the tail-end of the sheet has passed roller I0! the leading end of the sheet contacts with a finger I02 on a shoe (or shoes) I03 (Fig. 3), carried by swinging arms I04 pivoted on the shaft of the reel 6|. The arms I04 are swung back and forth at the proper times, by means of a rod I05, pivoted at one end to arms I04 and having its other end bifurcated at I08 and slidably resting upon the shaft of the feed reel 3 of the second unit B, the bifurcated end being provided with a roller I0! which engages a quadruple cam I08 mounted fast on the feed reel 3 of the second unit B. The rod I 05, with arms I04 and shoe I03 may be moved to the right (when cam I08 permits) by a spring I09 attached to the rod and to a suitable fixed point on the frame of unit B.

The sheet grippers 62 on delivery reel 6| of the first unit are timed to release the forward edge of the sheet just as its tail-end has passed beyond the roll IOI, and immediately thereafter the cam I08 permits the spring I09 to move shoe I 03 to the right (in a direction opposite to rotation of the reel BI), and the shoe moves the sheet tailend first toward endless carrier I00 until its tailend is nipped between the rollers IN and a roller H2 which cooperates with the roller IM to direct the sheet onto the tapes I00, by which it is carried forward to the feed reel 3 of the second unit B and at the proper moment is seized by the grippers I I on such reel.

A stripper H0 (Fig. 3) is pivoted above the roller IOI in position to direct the tail-end of the sheet across the space between the reel and the roller IOI and onto the tapes. A guide III is provided above the stripper to direct the tail-end of the sheet onto the tapes. Said guide may be pivoted on the shaft of roller I I2. It will be seen that by this arrangement the sheet is delivered from the first unit A tail first to the second unit B and therefore the sheet will be perfected by the second unit before it is delivered therefrom.

The perfected sheet may be delivered from the second unit onto endless tapes 200 running over rollers 2M and 202;'roller 202 is shown as provided with a Geneva stop 203 (which is a duplicate of the Geneva stop dam of the second unit, but is inverted). Stop 263 is operated at the proper time by pins 294 on an arm 205 on a shaft 2E8 (Fig. 2); which shaft carries a sprocket 201 driven by a chain 258 from a sprocket 209 on the shaft 'lm. The sprocket 299 is shown as half the size of sprocket 2G1, and consequently Geneva stop 263 will move the conveyor 20!] one position for each two sheets delivered, thereby producing a collected or gathered product which can be subsequently stitched and folded (see Figs. 1 and 4:) if desired.

Preferably I provide a stitcher 300 of any suitable construction adjacent the upper run of the tapes 260; and deliver the stitched sheets from the conveyor 298 to a folder 400 ofany suitable construction, as indicated in Fig. 4.

In order to feed the sheet to the second press in a nearly horizontal plane the first unit is shown as slightly elevated above the second unit. The height of the delivery disks and feed disks of the units are fixed by the points on the orbits of the printing cylinders where the sheets are to be fed or delivered.

The two press units may be operated in unison by any suitable means. As shown the drive shafts 85 of the two units carry bevel gears I86 which respectively mesh with beveled gears IS! on driven shafts I89. Any other suitable drive may be employed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that by my invention the two nonperfecting units can be operated to print on opposite sides of the sheet; thereby producing a perfected sheet. The mere feeding of the sheet from the first unit into the second unit would not perfect the sheet if there was not novel means added to turn the sheet so it will be printed upon the reverse side by second unit.

The bed bearers on beds l9, I9a are normally so arranged that each cylinder will operate only on its related bed; When sheets are to be printed only in one color (and all duplicates) the printing may be efiected on bed I9 by providing means whereby cylinder a can be permitted to cooperate with such bed. This may be accomplished by various means; but one convenient means is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and '7. The portion 2 la: for cylinder 35a on bed 19 is vertically adjustable; and when it is desired to permit cylinder 35a to cooperate with bed I9, the section 2L1: can be lowered by suitable means, as for example a wedge Zlz which can be longitudinally adjusted by any suitable means, such as a rack 2 is on one end of the wedge meshing with a segment or pinion 2lt on a rock shaft Zlu; which can be turned so as to project or retract the wedge by a lever 2122 (see Fig. 7). Normally portion 2m: is carried so that cylinder 35a will not cooperate with bed l9; but when section Zlx is lowered the cylinder 35a will coact with bed l9.

Similarly portion 2i of the bed bearer for cylinder 35 on bed l9a is vertically adjustable by a wedge 2 Iw which can be adjusted by means similar to the adjusting means of portion 2 l2. Section 2! is normally adjusted so that cylinder 35 will not cooperate with bed I9a, but when section 2! is lowered cylinder 35 will cooperate with bed lila; but when section 2| is raised cylinder 35 will be thrown off impression in passing over bed 1911 (see Fig. 6).

The portion of bed bearer 2| for cylinder 35 on bed 19 is provided with a longitudinal vertically adjustable section 2 la (Fig. 5) which is normally lowered to flush with the top of bearer 2|, section 2 la can be adjusted'by a wedge 21b, operable like wedge 21w. Normally sectionv 2|a is adjusted so that cylinder 35 will cooperate with the form on bed I 9. But when section 21a.- is raised cylinder 35 will-.be thrown oif impression while passing over bed IS. The portion of bed bearer 2 lm for cylinder 35a on bed l9a is provided with a longitudinal vertically adjustable section 21y (Fig. 6) which is normally lowered flush with the top of bearer 210:. Section 2 Iy can be adjusted by a wedge 2 in operable like wedge 2 Iw. Normally section Zly is adjusted so that cylinder 35a will cooperate with the form on bed IBa. But when section My is raised, cylinder 35a will be thrown oif impression when passing. overbed l9'a. If it is desired to have the cylinders 35; 35a print from non-duplicate forms on beds l9, 19a, in one color, the bed bearers can be adjusted so that each cylinder will normally cooperate only with its related type bed. If it is desired to have both cylinders print from same form (not using duplicates) the bed bearers can be adjusted so-that. both cylinders will print from the same form placed on either bed I9, or I911, as desired. If it is desired to print in multi-color the bed bearers can be adjusted so that each cylinder will cooperate successively with both beds.

For a one-color product the quantity of sheets delivered for each complete orbital travel of'this crosshead would depend upon the numberof cylinders employed. By having both cylinders operate on one bed. (or having each cylinderoperate only on its own bed, and using duplicate forms on the bed), two duplicate products can be obtained for each rotation of the. crosshead; Using two cylinders and two beds with duplicate plates, two duplicate products in multi-color could be obtained for each orbital, travel of the cylinder. By using different forms on the beds and having each cylinder operate withonly its related bed two non-duplicate products. can. be obtained for each rotation of the crosshead. By increasing the number of cylinders on the crossheads the number of duplicate products produced by each rotation would be correspondingly increased, and by increasing the number of beds the number of duplicate products, in black or multi-color, could be increased.

While I have shown one means for presenting the sheets from the first unit to the second unit in such manner that they will be perfected thereby, I do not consider my invention restricted to such means, as means could be provided in the transfer mechanism between the units whereby the sheet will be reversed in transfer and presented lead-end first to the second unit in such manner that the sheets will be perfected by the second unit.

When the units are to be used individually the transfer mechanism between the two units is put out of operation; and so may be the collecting mechanism of the second unit; and both units be operated independently to produce non-perfected sheets.

I claim:--

1. In a sheet perfecting press, a pair of nonperfecting units arranged end to end, the first unit having a delivery reel and the second unit a feed reel, a transfer mechanism between the delivery reel of the first unit and the feed reel of the second unit, means adapted to arrest the sheet delivered by the delivery reel of the first unit and means for transferring the sheet tail first to the feed reel of the second unit.

2. In a sheet perfecting press as set forth in claim 1, the transferring means including a belt, and means for directing the sheet tail first from the said delivery reel onto said belt.

3. In a sheet perfecting press as set forth in claim 1, means for intermittently operating the feed and delivery reels and the transfer means.

4. In a sheet perfecting press, a pair of nonperfecting units arranged end to end, the first unit having a delivery reel and the second unit a feed reel, a transfer mechanism between. the feed delivery reel of the first unit and the feed reel of the second unit comprising an oscillatory member beside the delivery reel of the first unit adapted to arrest a sheet brought forward by such reel and direct the sheet tail first onto the below mentioned belt, a belt and rolls for directing sheets from the delivery reel of the first unit to the feed reel of the second unit, and means for oscillating the said member.

5. A sheet perfecting printing press comprising two non-perfecting units each having a bed and cylinder, the cylinders moving in orbits; the first unit having a reel for delivering printed sheets therefrom; means for arresting a sheet carried by said reel, means for moving the arrested sheet backward, and means for engaging the said sheet and delivering it tail end first to the second unit to be perfected thereby.

6. In a sheet perfecting press, a pair of separate non-perfecting units each having a plurality of orbitally moving cylinders and beds adjacent the orbits of the cylinders, the first unit having a reel for delivering the printed sheets therefrom; means for arresting the sheet carried by said reel, means for moving the arrested sheet backward, and means for engaging the tail end of such sheet and delivering it to the second unit in such manner that it will be perfected thereby.

'7. In a sheet perfecting printing press as set forth in claim 6, means whereby the cylinders in each unit may be made to operate with any one bed or plurality of beds therein.

8. A sheet perfecting printing press comprising two separate non-perfecting units each having a multiple of beds and cylinders, the cylinders moving in endless orbits over the beds, means whereby the cylinders in each unit may be made to operate with any bed or beds therein, and means for transferring sheets printed on one side from the first to the second unit and delivering the sheets to the second unit in such manner that they will be perfected thereby.

9. A sheet perfecting printing press comprising two non-perfecting units each having a multiple of beds and cylinders, the cylinders moving in endless orbits; bearers for the cylinders, said bearers having manually adjustable sections adjacent the beds and means for adjusting said sections whereby the cylinders in the unit can be caused to operate with any bed or any plurality of beds in the unit.

10. In a sheet perfecting press, a pair of nonperfecting units each having a plurality of orbitally moving cylinders and a plurality of beds adjacent the orbits of the cylinders; bearers for the cylinders, said bearers having manually adjustable sections adjacent the beds and means for adjusting said sections comprising wedges interposed between the beds and lower faces of the bearers whereby the cylinders in the unit can be caused to operate with any bed or any plurality of beds in the unit.

11. In a sheet perfecting press, a pair of nonperfecting units arranged end to end, the first unit having a delivery reel and the second unit a feed reel, means for arresting a sheet on said delivery reel and starting said sheet backward toward the second unit, means for engaging the lead end of said arrested sheet and moving it tail end first toward the feed reel of the second unit, and means for delivering said sheet tail end first to the feed reel of the second unit.

PAUL F. COX. 

